If you Wait…

I’ve never been accused of being the most patient person in the world. There’s even a saying of how “good things come to those who wait”. Try as I may, I could never quite live up to the waiting game and in fact, I’ve come to believe that waiting is more of an excuse for inaction for some.

At one point in my life, I was surrounded by lots of people who believed they were called into service or ministries of all types. There was a common thread with virtually all of these folks in that their “calling” was always contingent upon other issues. One guy told me that he was called into a certain ministry work but couldn’t fulfill his destiny until he could replace his current income by doing his calling as a job. This guy was making a really comfortable living and would never replace his income by doing what he thought he should be doing. My advice to all of these folks has been that money has nothing to do with a true calling in life. It’s quite possible for a person to be happier while pursuing their true passion than someone who simply ends up at a station in life as a result of chasing wealth. A teacher who believes they can make a difference in educating children might make less but be happier than an attorney who simply does their job as a way of achieving power or monetary gain. We hear people speak of “making it” in life but the reality is often that people are unaware of when that is. Life is full of peaks and valleys and rarely do people end up on an extended plateau where they can camp out and achieve unending success and happiness.

Sports is an area where many want to succeed but few actually do. The problem is that there are limited spots available and lots of people watching and working to grab the open chair when the music stops. To follow a sporting dream is noble but to rely upon it would be folly.

If you wait until you have the time to practice, you never will. If you wait until your life is calm in order to work on your swing, you’ll grow old and grey because the greatest success often grows out of chaos. If you wait for your friends and relatives to stop complaining about range time, you’ll be sitting in a rocking chair looking back at what might have been. If you wait on perfect weather in order to tee a ball up, you’ll fall far behind the players who don’t mind sweat, a chill or rain drops. If you wait to maintain your body in a way that makes you feel better and perform better, you are doomed to make the journey that much longer. If you wait until you can comfortably afford to compete, you’re betting against your ability because there is no substitute for pressure situations in the heat of battle.

I may not have the funds that larger companies do but that won’t stop me from making products that suit our needs. We may not be able to travel as much as we would like to but we won’t wait to compete and cover every event possible. You may never be able to quit your day job and make a living in golf but that shouldn’t stop you from competing and becoming the very best that you can be. If you wait for success and happiness to find you, you’ll be waiting a long time but if you bang on the door long enough, it will either open or give way to you.